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Battle of Nikrios Bay
United Home Front * Mushroom Fleet *Mushroom Air Guard|side2 = Withered Faction *Withered Fleet *Withered Airforce|commanders1 = * Admiral Arceus Irukane|commanders2 = * Commander Marr|forces1 = *63 ships **2 Amatox-class battlecruisers **17 Hyper-class cruisers **31 Agar-class destroyers **12 Hydnum-class corvettes **1 experimental submarine Yellow Star *109 aircraft **103 advanced fighter jets **6 long-range scout craft|forces2 = *98 ships **2 Marr-class battlecruisers **78 Talon-class destroyers **8 Orphan-class cruisers **10 Thorius-class corvettes *56 aircraft **46 scout craft **10 fighters|casual1 = *59 ships sunk **1 Amatox-class sunk **17 Hyper-class cruiser sunk **29 Agar-class destroyers sunk **11 Hydnum-class corvettes sunk *12 aircraft destroyed **11 advanced fighter jets shot down **1 scout plane shot down *5 ships heavily damaged **1 Amatox-class caught fire and abandoned, later recovered by Withered forces **2 Agar-class destroyers fled south, later recovered *Yellow Star missing, presumed destroyed|casual2 = *76 ships sunk **1 Marr-class battlecruiser scuttled **1 Marr-class battlecruiser sunk with all hands **22 Talon-class destroyers sunk **6 Orphan-class cruisers sunk **8 Thorius-class corvettes sunk *48 aircraft shot down **10 fighters **38 scout craft|date = *September 12-21 3856 A.A.W}}The Battle of Nikrios Bay was the final naval battle of the Great Mushroom War that took place between September 12 and September 21 3856 in the frigid cold Nikrios Bay between the remnants of the Mushroom Fleet and the Withered Faction's invasion forces. In the wake of the Withered victory at Irukanj, the remaining ships of the Mushroom Fleet withdrew to the Mushroom military shipyards in Nikrios Bay. With Nikrios Bay being an important strategic goal to the Withered, the Mushroom Fleet backed by the reorganised Air Guard assembled a defence in which they used the many icesheets and icebergs as natural barriers to funnel in the less experienced Withered ships into ambushes. Fierce resistance from the Irukanji led to one of the largest naval battles in the War. Despite Marr's cautiousness, the ruthlessness and cunning of the Mushroom Fleet surprised him one last time, and the Withered Faction suffered heavy losses. By the battle's end, the Bay was littered with the wrecks of burning ships, debris and bodies. Dense smoke from burning fires made it difficult to navigate. In one last daring move, Irukane ordered his heavily damaged, burning Amatox battlecruiser CZ101 ''to ram the last remaining Marr battlecruiser. The crash resulted in the ''CZ101's ''nuclear reactor detonating, sending both ships into a fiery inferno. Although sustaining heavy casulties, the Withered Fleet was victorious, as the battle resulted in the subsequent destruction of the Mushroom Fleet and was followed by the Withered invasion of the Winterlands. History Background Following the victory at Irukanj, Commander Marr ordered the Withered Fleet to come to anchorage in the Iru Crescent in order to assess the damage caused during the lengthy run-out battle. Out of the 212 Withered ships sent to Irukanj to participate in the fight, seven were destroyed by Mushroom coastal defences while an additional two ran aground along the sharp jagged coastline. Spearheading the invasion fleet were ten Marr-class battlecruisers, the strongest warship commissioned by the Withered Fleet. In the fight, one was sunk after heavy enemy shelling while an additional two sustained so much damage that they had to go to drydock to receive critical repairs. On top of damage sustained in combat, over a third of the fleet was suffering from engine and weapon problems due to cut corners taken during construction. Some warships even broke down and had to be towed to anchorage. A lack of spare parts and ammunition also became a critical problem, as Withered supply lines were stretched too thin and were unable to ferry enough supplies from the Summerlands in a short timeframe. Knowing full well that the Mushroom Fleet was reorganising itself in Nikrios Bay, Marr put together a strike force consisting of 100 sea-worthy vessels. The remaining ships were left at anchorage in the Crescent or were recalled home. However before the operation began, a corvette and cruiser broke down, bringing down the total count to 98. In order to back-up the Fleet, Marr committed all what remained of the Withered air assets to the attack, knowing full well that the enemy's air superiority would be costly to the attack. Mushroom forces In the west, Admiral Arceus Irukane assumed command of the Mushroom Fleet after Grand Admiral Ejikas was killed in the Irukanj defensive. Almost immediately, Irukane began planning a last-ditch defense to halt the momentum of the imminent Withered invasion in order to buy the Mushroom Army some time to dig in and prepare a strong defense. The bulk of the remaining fleet consisted of ships awaiting overhauls at the Eurosian military shipyards. Among these were 2 Amatox-class battlecruisers, the second largest ship commissioned by the Mushroom Fleet. With most of the ship's crews on leave, Irukane ordered all Mushroom Fleet personnel to return immediately. Among the fleet were 12 brand new Agar-class destroyers which had recently been rolled off the Sura shipbuilding facilities. Irukane had them crewed with reserve maritime personnel. Irukane reorganised the Mushroom Armed Forces into the United Home Guard, disbanding the former Mushroom fleets and uniting them into a single unit. Irukane also had the Mushroom Airforce reorganised into the Air Guard. Previously, most of the northern Winterlandic air assets were diverted to Irukanj to prepare for the defense, leaving very few behind. The remaining fighters capable of flying consisted of 103 Cassowary fighters, which were far superior to their Withered counterparts. Irukane knew that air support would be vital and adjusted his plan accordingly. Among the ships that fled the battle was the M.S.S.E Yellow Star, an experimental high-tech submarine capable of inflicting devestating damage. Prelude On September 9th, the Withered attack force departed Irukanj, setting sail for Sura. Being in the middle of winter, icebergs and collapsed ice shelf was a common sight forcing the fleet to slow down in order to avoid colliding. The attack fleet sent out corvettes to watch for enemy ships and to report the condition of the sea back to the main fleet. Withered scoutplanes also flew out on sorties, hugging close to the Nikrios Bay coastline. A Withered scoutplane was shot down by two Cassowary fighters on September 10, marking the first casulty in the battle. Suspecting that the fleet had begun its invasion. Irukane brought the Air Guard to full alert and sent out recon aircraft to locate the main bulk of the fleet. Two Mushroom scoutplanes successfully located the Withered fleet at 8:22 pm that same day. Irukane ordered the Mushroom Fleet to depart. That night, the fleet came under attack by Mushroom air bombardment. Mushroom fighter sorties dropped bombs onto the ships below, inflicting casulties. In the morning, Marr sent out the bulk of the Withered Airforce to establish a perimeter ahead of the fleet. As the squadrons proceeded deeper into the Bay, they discovered the bulk of the Mushroom Fleet, which used large icebergs as cover. The frigid waters were treacherous and filled with sharp chunks of ice that could easily cut through armour. Although being outnumbered, the Mushroom captains were experienced in arctic warfare while the Withered officers were not. Having discovered the Withered airforce, the Mushroom Air Guard launched a pursuit squadron. In a large aerial dogfight, the highly advanced Cassowary fighters outmaneuvered the far less advanced Withered planes. All ten remaining Withered fighters were lost, while an additional twenty scoutplanes were destroyed in the battle at the cost of only three Mushroom aircraft. With the Withered airforce wiped out, the Mushroom Air Guard had complete air superiority. Primary battle The Withered Fleet came into contact with the bulk of the Mushroom Fleet spearheaded by the Amatox-class battlecruiser ''Liviat'. ''After exchanging fire, the Withered corvette ''Jelios '''''was struck and capsized. Sensing that the Withered Fleet were pushing in, Irukane ordered the Mushroom Fleet to back deeper into the frigid waters, leaving behind a small detachment of corvettes and warships to distract the Withered Fleet. They were backed by the Air Guard, which was successful in forcing many of the Withered ships to pull back due to heavy casulties. After defeating the detachment, the Withered Fleet carried on, unbeknownst that the enemy fleet was leading them into a tight man-made corridor of ice. Sitting behind a large wall of icebergs was the Mushroom Fleet with their weapons trained upwards ready to open fire. The forward scouts of the Withered Fleet were the first to run into this ambush, being completely obliterated by an enemy force they could not see. In order to combat this, Marr sent scoutplanes on suicidal sorties to examine the best possible route through the trap. However this was made difficult due to the concentration of enemy fighters in the area. Marr then reorganised his fleet, using the large size and heavily armoured Marr-class battlecruisers to be at the vanguard. This way, they would receive the primary concentration of enemy fire, and allowing for the rest of the fleet to come closer to gain a firing solution. On early morning September 14, the Fleet proceeded inwards, having been bombarded by lone wolf bombings from enemy fighters.